Peacock Springs open to Cave diving

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03-13-2010 01:01 PM
Jim Wyatt

Peacock Springs open to Cave diving

Peacock Springs is open again for cave diving. :clapper

Members of the North Florida Springs Alliance line committee completed a dive this morning and found the visibility to be at least 20 feet throughout the cave and lines in good shape.

After divers finished the dive the park manager was notified and a recommendation to open the cave was made. The manager accepted that recommendation and approved re-opening the cave for diving.

The park is not yet open for open water or cavern certified divers. As soon as conditions improve that too will change. So stay tuned.

Be aware that the steps are slippery so please be careful.

Jim Wyatt
NFSA Line Committee Chairman
www.northfloridaspringsalliance.org
03-13-2010 02:28 PM
rpurdy

Great news!
03-13-2010 02:41 PM
tecterri

Yipppppeeee !!!!
03-13-2010 02:45 PM
K Mejean

WOOHOO!!!!!!
03-13-2010 02:58 PM
kidsdream

Thanks for the update

I am heading down from NJ next weekend, nice having another option.
03-13-2010 03:48 PM
runawaylobster

:D.....
03-13-2010 04:07 PM
FW

From another thread:

Quote:

Originally Posted by RN

.... I'm going to guess Forrest is being a little optimistic in his prediction...

Sure I was :-D
03-13-2010 05:21 PM
Kelly Jessop

Quote:

Originally Posted by kidsdream

I am heading down from NJ next weekend, nice having another option.

South GA had a lot of rain the last couple days,so keep your plans flexible.
03-13-2010 07:01 PM
Cindy

Quote:

Originally Posted by FW

From another thread:

Sure I was :-D

Never ever doubt the grey bearded cave diver! LOL
Thanks guys, I need to get back into shape. Anybody diving tomorrow?
03-13-2010 08:27 PM
tj

Yep, Denise and I are... wanna join us ?
tj

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindy

Never ever doubt the grey bearded cave diver! LOL
Thanks guys, I need to get back into shape. Anybody diving tomorrow?
03-14-2010 07:22 AM
JCGoodwin

Cool, I look forward to the report on conditions!
Hope you guys have good weather it has been raining up here since Friday.
Safe diving,
JCG
03-14-2010 03:30 PM
Tazman70

Thanks Dive team

Thanks go out to Kelly Jessop & Martin Robson for doing the test dive on Saturday Morning! :clapper Without you guys it would have been another week or two or more before a team could go in. :arrowred
03-14-2010 03:57 PM
Kelly Jessop

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tazman70

Thanks go out to Kelly Jessop & Martin Robson for doing the test dive on Saturday Morning! :clapper Without you guys it would have been another week or two or more before a team could go in. :arrowred

Thanks,but people have been keeping a close eye for certain indicators to get the system open,and if it wouldn't have been yesterday,it would have been soon after that. Lets hope that the heavy rain in South GA doesn't close the system.
03-14-2010 04:48 PM
fghray1

Went today

Me Jeno, Cindy and Jim were the first in today. Waters cold in the main passage. Still tanic but divable. Light have a brown tint. Vis about 20ft.
We went up the penut tunnel, jumped at the crossover and came back the main line. Penut was clearer than the main line. And warmer. Flow is up the most I have evr seen.
Fred
03-14-2010 06:08 PM
Cindy

Quote:

Originally Posted by tj

Yep, Denise and I are... wanna join us ?
tj

Hey TJ, it was great to see you two. Next time call me. I have a new phone 386-454-3977. I think I changed to the new one on the guide lists. I need to check. Hope you have a great Grand Traverse.
03-14-2010 06:11 PM
Benthic

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tazman70

Thanks go out to Kelly Jessop & Martin Robson for doing the test dive on Saturday Morning! :clapper Without you guys it would have been another week or two or more before a team could go in. :arrowred

Yes, thank you to the Almighty Ones for ensuring that the system is safe enough for the rest of us peons...:roll:

Brian
03-14-2010 06:46 PM
Kelly Jessop

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benthic

Yes, thank you to the Almighty Ones for ensuring that the system is safe enough for the rest of us peons...:roll:

Brian

In your case Brian we'll guide you. :-)
03-14-2010 09:08 PM
Meister481

What are the rivers looking like? I'm heading down that way the 28th. Looking at diving Vortex 2 days to get some students certified, then sidemount the cave a few times. After that I'm trying to decide where to go. If Peacock is open I'd like to get in there a bit. Is OG doing anything yet?
03-14-2010 09:53 PM
Dinny

Peacock Trip Report March 14th

Hi Cindy,
Great to see you guys too....we had a great dive this afternoon in Peacock.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindy

Hey TJ, it was great to see you two. Next time call me. I have a new phone 386-454-3977. I think I changed to the new one on the guide lists. I need to check. Hope you have a great Grand Traverse.

Tj and I dived Orange Grove and Peacock 1 this afternoon, we did the Grand Traverse. We entered at Orange Grove, went up mainline through Challenge Sink, jumped over through the Peanut Restriction, and down the Peanut Line, checking out the occasional side tunnel. Hey, someone's (pre-flood) spool or reel is still on the Peanut restriction jump (and covered with crap).

On route, we cleaned off a few of the lines (some looked like something from a haunted house!), and checked line placements.

Throughout our dive the visibility ranged from 20-30 feet. There was much particulate on the floors in places, but is heavy and settles quickly. The water is tea colored, visibility was better on the Peanut side. There was considerable flow pushing against us up along Orange Grove until we hit the Distance Tunnel, and VERY strong flow in the first section of the Challenge-Olsen line. This picked up again down along the Peanut Line.

Our dive time was 95 minutes, and maximum depth was 71 feet. Water temperature was 67F degrees throughout. The water level at the sinks and springs are higher than normal (four of the steps are covered at Peacock and Orange Grove).

http://dayo.com/pictures/PICT0001.jpg

There were some carcasses of cave crayfish, but more alive and active than dead, and a few healthy catfish (saw no dead fish). There was a lot of green algae growth in both basins, a few fish, and some turtles out basking in the sun.

After surfacing at P1, we swam over (under the water) to check out P2 and P3. There was a significant (stronger than usual) siphon into P3. Viz in the basin and P3 cave was worst than P1, but was interesting. More 'trash' in P3 than P1 also. I think the water temp was colder too.... but didn't check my computer...

We went by Little River to check it out, but the gate is locked:
http://dayo.com/pictures/PICT0014.jpg

Images from our Peacock dive:

http://dayo.com/pictures/P1010005.jpg

http://dayo.com/pictures/P1010012.jpg

http://dayo.com/pictures/P1010014.jpg

http://dayo.com/pictures/P1010015.jpg
03-14-2010 10:09 PM
Sludge

Someone's Atomic Aquatics tech needs a dose of OCD.
03-14-2010 11:45 PM
mikiedfd

So Trip Planning Last Week of March

So I've heard from many different people. I've been wanting to cave dive since I left Florida last April! Anyway, I was hoping to come down March 27 - April 3, but have gotten mixed reviews. Some say don't waste my time because the caves JUST came back. Others seem to think life is great, come dive. What's everyone's opinon about coming and diving in two weeks!?
03-15-2010 06:30 AM
DA Aquamaster

We'll be there in two weeks. Personally, I like new post flood cave floors before the poorly skilled show up and cover them with hand, knee and fin prints and I'd prefer to be diving it right now. It's also nice to dive the cave when it is "different" in terms of less than normal viz and some tannic color.

No offense, but you also need to dive a lot more than one trip per year to keep from being one of those people who put all the hand, knee and fin prints in the bottom. Life happens and schedules get pushed back, but I'm just sayin if you are going to be a cave diver, commit do doing it enough to maintain a reasonable level of currency and skill. Pushing an April trip back some more is not going to help much. And there is almost always Ginnie, which is not a bad place to go either if you need some warm up dives.
03-15-2010 06:32 AM
Kelly Jessop

Quote:

Originally Posted by DA Aquamaster

We'll be there in two weeks. Personally, I like new post flood cave floors before the poorly skilled show up and cover them with hand, knee and fin prints and I'd prefer to be diving it right now.

Unfortunately this flood didn't have the high water levels that really flush the system with organic material,but there is a dusting through out the system.
03-15-2010 07:54 AM
Benthic

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelly Jessop

In your case Brian we'll guide you. :-)

Oh! Well in that case I'll be right over! :yawinkle:

(For the record: I realize that neither Kelly, nor Martin are personally responsible for the system of 'inspection' as it exists. They just happened to be the ones making the evaluation dive.)

Brian
03-15-2010 09:01 AM
mikiedfd

Trust me, if I wasn't "under-employed" having to work 3 part-time jobs to make it, I would most certainly be in the caves more often. However I think you should not underestimate the abilities of a diver without knowing them first as I do plenty of diving in quarries and wrecks in Lake Michigan - diving with the same gear and same careful-ness of a cave.
03-15-2010 09:36 AM
fixxervi6

Quote:

Originally Posted by DA Aquamaster

......No offense, but you also need to dive a lot more than one trip per year to keep from being one of those people who put all the hand, knee and fin prints in the bottom. Life happens and schedules get pushed back, but I'm just sayin if you are going to be a cave diver, commit do doing it enough to maintain a reasonable level of currency and skill. Pushing an April trip back some more is not going to help much. And there is almost always Ginnie, which is not a bad place to go either if you need some warm up dives.

What a load of BS, so I guess the only place you can possibly maintain your bouancy skills etc is in a cave? as in other body's of water you can't possibly practice these things.

I make 2 -3 trips a year, does this mean I only semi-suck?
03-15-2010 09:57 AM
MORGAN

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikiedfd

So I've heard from many different people. I've been wanting to cave dive since I left Florida last April! Anyway, I was hoping to come down March 27 - April 3, but have gotten mixed reviews. Some say don't waste my time because the caves JUST came back. Others seem to think life is great, come dive. What's everyone's opinon about coming and diving in two weeks!?

I did a caving trip the middle two weeks of February when Peacock, Cow, Little River, Telford, and Madison were all flooded out. Had no problem at all finding plenty of great cave diving to do. Manatee, Ginnie, Jug Hole, Jackson Blue, Twin, Hole in the Wall were all in great shape.

Mike
03-15-2010 09:57 AM
LiteHedded

Quote:

Originally Posted by fixxervi6

What a load of BS, so I guess the only place you can possibly maintain your bouancy skills etc is in a cave? as in other body's of water you can't possibly practice these things.

I make 2 -3 trips a year, does this mean I only semi-suck?

certain skills, yea
03-15-2010 11:11 AM
DA Aquamaster

Quote:

Originally Posted by fixxervi6

What a load of BS, so I guess the only place you can possibly maintain your bouancy skills etc is in a cave? as in other body's of water you can't possibly practice these things.

I make 2-3 trips a year, does this mean I only semi-suck?

I am far from a local zip code diver and it's a 13 hour drive to N FL on the rare occasions when traffic is good on I-95. Still, I try to get to N FL at least every 3 months and I try to get a minimum of 5 diving days each trip. If I get much beyond the 4 month mark, I perceive the decline in skill level on the first couple of dives. Even with trips every 3 months, I see improvement from day 1 to day 5, which tells me I am losing something skillwise in the 3 month gaps.

And that loss happens despite diving nearly every weekend from May-November to "practice" when I am not cave diving. Some skills are exceptionally hard to really simulate outside a cave environment. Whether we want to admit it or not, Cave diving is a perishable skill and requires a minimum degree of currency to maintain a minimum degree of competency.

YMMV on what that frequency needs to be, but you'll find almost no one who would argue 1 trip a year is enough and damn few who would say 2 is adequate.

The bottom line is that if any cave diver is unable to maintain the neccesary level of proficiency, they need to seriously reconsider whether they should be cave diving and either pick a new hobby or restructure the rest of their life to allow enough currency to maintain adequate proficiency.
03-15-2010 11:22 AM
Sludge

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikiedfd

Trust me, if I wasn't "under-employed" having to work 3 part-time jobs to make it, I would most certainly be in the caves more often.

I believe they're hiring at the Hardee's in Branford. And two college degrees notwithstanding, I'm considering it!
03-15-2010 11:34 AM
fixxervi6

Quote:

Originally Posted by DA Aquamaster

I am far from a local zip code diver and it's a 13 hour drive to N FL on the rare occasions when traffic is good on I-95. Still, I try to get to N FL at least every 3 months and I try to get a minimum of 5 diving days each trip. If I get much beyond the 4 month mark, I perceive the decline in skill level on the first couple of dives. Even with trips every 3 months, I see improvement from day 1 to day 5, which tells me I am losing something skillwise in the 3 month gaps.

And that loss happens despite diving nearly every weekend from May-November to "practice" when I am not cave diving. Some skills are exceptionally hard to really simulate outside a cave environment. Whether we want to admit it or not, Cave diving is a perishable skill and requires a minimum degree of currency to maintain a minimum degree of competency.

YMMV on what that frequency needs to be, but you'll find almost no one who would argue 1 trip a year is enough and damn few who would say 2 is adequate.

The bottom line is that if any cave diver is unable to maintain the neccesary level of proficiency, they need to seriously reconsider whether they should be cave diving and either pick a new hobby or restructure the rest of their life to allow enough currency to maintain adequate proficiency.

I agree to a certain extent, I too perform a couple "warm up dives" when I arrive to florida to get my head fully in the game before I go at it full blast, but even during warm up dives I've never made hand plant or had bouancy problems, if anything its more about "getting in the zone" and getting my sac down as I go through the motions.
03-15-2010 11:39 AM
fixxervi6

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiteHedded

certain skills, yea

Please inform me of what "skills" can not be practiced in a body of water outside of a cave, I can only think of 1.

I call total BS on hand prints statement, maybe if you ONLY diving was one trip a year to florida, if your not leaving handprints in the quarry/ocean/lake then there is no reason you should be leaving handprints in the cave either.

I'll tell you what is leaving handprints and fin marks, people that shouldn't be in there in the first place.
03-15-2010 11:51 AM
OFG-1

Quote:

Originally Posted by fixxervi6

Please inform me of what "skills" can not be practiced in a body of water outside of a cave, I can only think of 1..

Fly Walking.
03-15-2010 12:09 PM
sskasser

Quote:

Originally Posted by OFG-1

Fly Walking.

Where do you find those tiny little leashes?
03-15-2010 12:29 PM
OFG-1

Quote:

Originally Posted by sskasser

Where do you find those tiny little leashes?

The leashes are easy. getting the collar over them weird segmented eyes, that's tough.
03-15-2010 03:43 PM
jeandiver

Quote:

Originally Posted by fghray1

Me Jeno, Cindy and Jim were the first in today. Waters cold in the main passage. Still tanic but divable. Light have a brown tint. Vis about 20ft.
We went up the penut tunnel, jumped at the crossover and came back the main line. Penut was clearer than the main line. And warmer. Flow is up the most I have evr seen.
Fred

Ya , Peanut Tunnel was nice and kinda WIERD to have a nice flow in our face. Cross-over was kinda spooky , but once we hit the Potshole ( :D ) , you could notice the temp change. The close we got to P1 , the chillier it got. (Course with all of the nassy water in Cistine and Nicholson EEK).
If the main-line was warmer , I think we could have just slowly drifted out withing doing hardly any kicking. (OK , I am probably over-exagerating it) Awesome tail wind , you might say.

I think going the OTHER WAY ( LOL ) would have allowed us to stay on the slightly warmer side on the way out. Little bit better viz too.

THANKS LINE COMMITTEE !!! (SMILE)

It was just AWESOME to take a little peek in Peacock again.

Beano

P.S. A Certain Person was behind me when I was doing a little Line Cleaning and , er , uh ...
Well , lets just say I made the person behind me upset for spoiling the VIZ !!! ( lol )